Join the new world

Not to be associated with the Federalist Party. Simply a love-letter to nostalgia, support for the closest of friends, and, once again, writing for myself, dear reader~


^{Mood Musik is mandatory. There might be a test I guess, idk.}

I believe...

I used to care tremendously about this game, in a way that seems impossible now. This game, and this community, once seemed to offer infinite opportunity to work with incredible players, now shadows of echoes of legends, and a chance to create our own mythologies. We engaged not because of arbitrary conflict but rather our experience with eRepublik was fueled by an expanding community that we were desperate to leave our mark on. At some point, that ended, and promise gave way to decay. A full history would include the cleansing of players that was V2, the forced destruction of competition that was Unity and the various coming and goings of the players who defined the eUS. Essentially, however, eRepublik stopped being an opportunity and became, instead, a controlled demolition. We began losing more players than we gained, communities shrank, and the eUnited States became smaller than what once constituted the smallest of nations, and half as grand.

And at some point, years ago, I stopped caring too.

To observe activity in eRepublik over the past few years is to record our collective attempts to convince ourselves, and others, that there is worth left in playing eRepublik. That we as a community can still work together and create an experience greater than the mechanics provided, a sum far greater than admittedly lack-luster parts. There have been hints of this promise, shared experiences that have at least given me hope and drawn me back into the game, but overall the message has been that of surrender, of acceptance. What is increasingly clear, however, is that what we're doing now does not work, and can not sustain itself.


^{Apathy: the silent killer. Wait, that doesn't sound right...}

The politics of fun have become an odd landscape, of political promises and little understanding or follow-through. The promise of war, of conflict, has in many circles replaced the hollow mentions of community which, in turn, replaced community itself. On the other hand, many have pursued engagement through division, put-downs and their own inflated senses of self. What has been lost, between the posturing and the failure, is the kind of communal efforts that have defined our past reaches towards greatness. There can be no Lion King, there can be no SEES, there can be no Frost Revolution without a certain group effort that requires more than just clicking a button, an effort that has been absent for years.

However, even when I am most alienated from eRepublik, least convinced that spending time here is worthwhile, there is something that gives me hope. It's the fact that I am not alone. There are players left who remind me of the days when I made myself graphics and did segments like "The Proteus Bump" and imagined it made a difference - that's why this is the last one after all, it's the only one that matters. And after a month of unmet promises, failed execution, and widespread mistrust and division, we need a player who can ignite this passion in others, we need someone who can make an apathetic perennially-complaining player like myself go digging for old graphics. We need someone who can make us care again.

We need a President who who can lead this nation, we need a President with experience, but we need more than that. And as always, we need somebody who can devote the time required in the job that is being President, but most of all we need a President who can lead us in again creating our own mythologies, and not only in making the eUnited States great again, but in making all of us great. In plain english, we need a special kind of President, we need Aramec.


^{Aramec4President: an erotic fanfiction}

I believe in Aramec...

Aramec has been one of those players who has made this game more fun, and this community more rewarding, just by this virtue of his existence. When I first immigrated to the eUS on day 1,113, Aramec, playing then as Athanaric, was already one of the most enigmatic and exciting voices in media and politics. Whether it be Mortal Kombat Presidential analysis or Valentines Day activities, Aramec has been a source of nearly infinite, and possibly renewable, energy, enlivening the game for all around him.

Four years ago I photoshopped Ohio onto Belkar's head to celebrate Athanaric's congressional victory in the state. It's a testament to how much this game has changed that none of that makes any sense anymore. What hasn't changed however, is how Aramec plays this game, how devoted he is to embiggening a game that most are content to watch die. How his very existence makes you want to contribute, and maybe try to caputure some of the joie de vivre that he seems to exude so naturally. He's the kind of player who you photoshop for without being asked, who you stay up all night with because, somehow when you weren't paying attention, his cause has become your own. He's the kind of player who makes you actually want to play this game. The only difference now, is that over the past few years Aramec has been floating from cabinet to cabinet, acquiring what I can only assume to be a shiny mahogany sheen, or possibly just an STD. It's hard to say but I'm going to assume it's a good thing.

Essentially what I'm saying is that Aramec has been bred for one purpose: War. No, that's not right, let's try again. Aramec has been bred for one purpose: being the perfect candidate for President. I say this with zero hyperbole: He is exactly what we need right now, and maybe even more.


^{Murdering the eUS is the new patriotism. Also, I'm bad at photoshop.}

I believe in Aramec as President of these eUnited States.

That Aramec is both driven, and willing to lead is clear. Although, as I have often heard, that is not enough. The other day Gnilraps, a truly venerable citizen in his own right, who apparently employs my virtual carcass, asked if Aramec is capable of leading. I suppose abstractly I can see how this could be used as a metaphor for the fact that Aramec has acted passionately in the past. Playing this game almost as if it were a game. However, from a literal reading, I can't quite wrap my head around it, as I have come across no-one who can lead as well or effectively as Aramec. At this point this essay will devolve into the personal realm, but then again, how else can one understand or analyze a game as odd as this one.

If leadership can be defined as the ability to enlist and excite others in the aim of a common task, Aramec is second to none. If leadership is the ability to almost singlehandedly create something special out of nothing, to conjure a grassroots campaign around a nearly-absent giant, then Aramec is empirically, second to none. In the past year, the few times I've been truly engaged, and tentatively experienced the same energy that has made this game so irresistible to those of us who play, it has been because Aramec has given me the opportunity. Aramec creates these situations, where we can all contribute, and feel like authors of new glimpses into America's potential and greatness. And if that can be defined as leadership, Aramec is certainly, and without reservation, second to no-one.

There is no player I would rather support, with my pen, with my vote, and with my word than Aramec. And there is no President this country needs more. Let's write a new America~

---

Your moment of zen:


Proteus out~